55 Payson Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10034

55 Payson Avenue is a 6-story, 66-unit New Law Tenement building constructed in 1925 and currently owned by Ray Seelall. The building has experienced recurring issues with its intercom/buzzer system, with multiple complaints and violations recorded between 2024 and 2025, including an open complaint from April 2025. There are significant safety and habitability concerns in apartment 3E, including open violations related to broken plaster, pest infestation, and missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, all cited in November 2024.

The building has had multiple heating/hot water complaints, most recently in April 2025, though this issue was quickly resolved. Historical data shows some structural concerns, including a 2020 violation regarding the facade's condition, though this was marked as resolved. Recent inspections for rodent control have consistently passed, indicating effective management of vermin issues.

The building has also shown attention to bedbug management, with no reported infestations in the most recent three reporting periods from 2021 to 2024, though there were two isolated cases reported in 2018-2019 and 2020-2021. The property has active Department of Buildings violations regarding failure to file required facade inspection reports for 2018 and 2023 cycles. While recent maintenance issues have been promptly addressed when inspected, there have been multiple instances where HPD inspectors were unable to gain access to complete their evaluations, particularly regarding complaints filed in March 2025 concerning window guards, paint/plaster conditions, and pests, all of which were closed due to lack of access.